ALEX Salmond was at the centre of a fresh row over his handling of the Trump golf development yesterday after it emerged he paved the way for a meeting between the Scottish Government's chief planner and representatives of the Trump organisation.
The First Minister yesterday tried to regain the initiative on the Trump issue, which has dogged his administration for the past two weeks.
Donald Trump wants to build a £1 billion golf resort, affecting Mr Salmond's constituency of Gordon. His application was initially turned down by Aberdeenshire Council, but was subsequently "called in" by ministers, who will now make the final decision on whether it goes ahead.
Mr Salmond has been under pressure over a meeting he held with Trump representatives in his role as constituency MSP a day before the application was called in. He hit back yesterday by publishing answers to 54 parliamentary questions about the government's handling of the affair.
He also published a letter from Sir John Elvidge, the head of the Scottish civil service, absolving officials of any wrongdoing, and held a press conference to explain his position, releasing a full statement from John Swinney, the finance secretary, explaining the government's approach at the same time.
However, Mr Salmond was knocked off course after revealing he met Trump representatives on 3 December, then phoned Jim Mackinnon, the government's chief planner, to ask if Mr Mackinnon was allowed to meet the Trump officials. When Mr Mackinnon said he could, a meeting was arranged for the next day.
The First Minister insisted he had not arranged that crucial meeting and stressed everything he did was done in his role as the local constituency MSP. But his opponents argued that no ordinary MSP would have the access to Mr Mackinnon that Mr Salmond has, and suggested that he had brought undue influence to bear on the planning process.
At First Minister's Question's, Wendy Alexander, the Scottish Labour leader, claimed Mr Salmond had "bypassed" the planning directorate and "secured" a meeting for Mr Trump's representatives with Mr Mackinnon.
And she asked Mr Salmond: "Do you maintain this was merely the routine action of a constituency MSP, or is it misuse of the position of First Minister?"
Mr Salmond referred Ms Alexander to Sir John's letter which, he claimed, cleared officials of any wrong-doing. He added that "ministers and civil servants have acted with total propriety".
After First Minister's Questions, Labour tabled another 25 parliamentary questions on Mr Salmond's handling of the issue.
Jackie Baillie, Labour's business manager, said: "There are more questions than answers about how the First Minister has conducted himself."
Answers to questions that won't go away in £1bn golf resort rowWho arranged and initiated the meeting between the Scottish Government's chief planner and Trump representatives?
John Swinney, the finance secretary: "The chief planner (Jim Mackinnon] took a call from Mr Salmond in his capacity as a constituency MSP. Mr Salmond sought advice from the chief planner on whether it would still be permissible for the officials from the Scottish Government planning directorate to meet representatives of the Trump organisation.
"The chief planner confirmed officials can meet with parties involved in a planning application but only to discuss options and the procedural implications, not to consider the merits of the case. A request was then made by the Trump organisation representatives. The chief planner arranged the time and venue."
Were government resources used in advance of Mr Salmond's meeting with Trump representatives?
Mr Swinney: "The Government Car Service was used, but it is commonplace for civil servants, including special advisers, to travel with ministers in government cars, to assist ministers to use time spent travelling to progress government business.
"It is also common for the minister's government car to convey such civil servants to their destination. (Sir John Elvidge], the permanent secretary, is satisfied the use of government car services in this case was consistent with such general practice and was appropriate and pragmatic."
When you phoned the chief planner, did you ask him to hold a further meeting with the Trump organisation the following day?
Alex Salmond, First Minister, at yesterday's press conference: "I asked Jim Mackinnon whether it was permissible still for members of the planning directorate to meet representatives of the Trump organisation.
"Jim replied that it was. He requested and arranged the meeting, and not me."
When you were in New York recently, did you talk to Donald Trump at a dinner you both attended and, if so, did you talk about this development?
Mr Salmond: "I spoke to Donald Trump but it was a meeting of Scottish Development International, with many businesses present.
"There were clearly no discussions about (a] specific development, it was about Scotland and development strategy.
"I spoke to Mr Trump, but I didn't speak about this development."
If he offered you a membership of this golf course, would you take it?
Mr Salmond: "I would be duty- bound under the terms of the ministerial code to pay for any membership I took for any golf club, and I am quite certain membership of many golf clubs in Scotland might strain my means."
Do you believe this development will now go ahead or do you believe it has had it?
Mr Salmond: "We will have to let events take their course. It's best for me to leave the determination of these matters to ministers responsible for it and stick to my self-proclaimed ordinance of not making any public comment, which could be interpreted as being for or against this development."
Has the SNP received any £950 donations from the Trump organisation?
Mr Salmond: "No. The SNP has received no money from the Trump organisation of any kind."
Who was at the meeting between the chief planner and representatives of the Trump organisation?
Mr Swinney: "The meeting was attended by Jim Mackinnon and David Ferguson, head of planning decisions at the Scottish Government, along with George Sorial and Neil Hobday, from the Trump organisation."
Will you apologise for any inaccuracies in briefings to the media?
Mr Swinney: "The BBC approached government officials on 12 December with questions about the chief planner's telephone contacts with Aberdeenshire Council. Those were answered correctly on 12 December.
"On 13 December, the BBC refined its question by changing a limited number of words. During the course of a busy day, officials did not realise the question had been changed slightly and repeated the answer given the previous evening.
"Once the mistake was identified, officials clarified the position to the media at the earliest opportunity. I regret this unfortunate, but easily understood error occurred."
Why, following your meeting with Mr Trump's representatives, did you call the chief planner, by-passing the rest of the planning directorate to secure for them a meeting the following morning with the chief planner? And do you maintain that this was merely the routine action of a constituency MSP or is it really the misuse of the position of First Minister?
Mr Salmond, at First Minister's Questions: "I have a letter from the permanent secretary which makes it clear that no civil servant has acted with anything other than total propriety and no civil servant has been asked to do anything improper.
"Ministers and civil servants have acted with total propriety."
How many other constituency MSPs can call the chief planner directly, bypassing the planning directorate, and secure a meeting with developers within 24 hours and a call-in within 24 hours?
Mr Salmond: "The permanent secretary writes that he has unambiguous confirmation from the chief planner that at no time has he been instructed by any party to act improperly.
"The chief planner was once requested to participate in a discussion with the Trump organisation. The date was January 2006, the First Minister was Jack McConnell and the deputy first minister was Nicol Stephen."
Why has Mr Salmond's government been refusing since August, a period of three months, to meet developers proposing a £1.2 billion development to redevelop the Rosyth Naval Dockyard?
Mr Salmond: "The chief planner is meeting this developer as he is meeting many other developers in Scotland."
• The Ramblers Association Scotland yesterday launched an urgent fund-raising drive to help meet the costs of a potential legal challenge against the Trump organisation's development and costs incurred in its failed legal battle on public access rights against business tycoon Ann Gloag.
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